The Great Western Forum was bustling with activity.
As a Christmas Day game broadcast nationwide, the arena was already packed. Many familiar Hollywood faces sat in the front row, while Lakers fans in the stands made no attempt to hide their home-court advantage.
The starting lineups for both sides in this match are as follows.
Boston Celtics: Point Gary Payton, Shooting Eddie Jones, Small Forward Chris Paul Pierce, Power Forward Kevin Garnett, Center Dikembe Mutombo.
Los Angeles Lakers: Point Derrick Fisher, Shooting Guard Kobe Brian, Small Forward Peja Stojaković, Power Forward Jermaine O'Neal, Center Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal.
As the referee tossed the ball high into the air, this highly anticipated match officially began.
In the opening stages, the Los Angeles Lakers, playing at home, quickly got into the game and tried to establish an advantage with their aggressive offense. Although the Celtics played a tight defense, they seemed somewhat passive in terms of rhythm under the fervent atmosphere of the Lakers' home court.
The game had only been going on for five minutes.
"Bang!"
Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal forcefully pushed past Dikembe Mutombo in the paint and dunked the ball with both hands. The basketball hoop was pulled and shook violently.
"Beep--"
The referee blows his whistle: Goal is valid; defensive foul, one additional penalty.
This was Mutombo's second foul of the game. Facing O'Neal was in his prime and weighed nearly 345 pounds, even the defensively strong Mutombo seemed powerless.
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson stood on the sidelines, chewing gum, looking relaxed. His Triangle Offense offense was going smoothly; as long as the ball was passed to O'Neal in the low post, the Celtics ' interior defense faced immense pressure.
On the perimeter, Kobe Brian, wearing jersey number 8, was also in excellent form.
Facing Gary Payton's tight defense and Eddie Jones's ever-present help defense, Kobe didn't pass the ball. He made two consecutive crossovers, forced his way up in the tight space, and hit a difficult fadeaway jumper over Gary Payton's block attempt.
The Lakers got off to a strong start, 14-8.
The Lakers ' basket was met with cheers from the home crowd. Amid the cheers, however, there were also taunts directed at the Celtics' bench, especially at the 19-year-old rookie sitting at the end of the court.
Hey Ron! Did you see Shaq dunk? He's way cooler than you carrying the TV!
" The Celtics don't even have money to buy Gatorade? Why don't you go sell some popcorn outside to earn some extra cash?"
"Salesman, go back to Boston!"
Artest sat on the bench with a towel draped around his neck. He gripped his knees tightly with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. The broadcast camera panned across him, capturing his tense expression.
Ron Harper, standing next to him, turned his head and frowned slightly. As a veteran, he knew how offensive the trash talk from away fans could be. He was about to say a few words of comfort when he noticed that Artest's eyes were filled with suppressed anger as he stared intently at the Lakers players on the court.
Artest recalled Lin Qi's words on the airport bus, "Your job is to play well. It's not your job to argue with the fans or the media. Especially don't let the Los Angeles media distract Lakers before the game even starts... How do you shut them up? Just play well, and we'll see what happens on the court."
So he didn't retaliate. He just sat there, watching Kobe celebrate and O'Neal score, managing to suppress his anger.
On the other side of the coaching bench.
Facing the Lakers ' offensive onslaught, Doc Rivers sat in his chair with his arms crossed, looking serious.
" Dikembe has two fouls, the pressure inside is too much, and Kobe is playing very well." Assistant coach Thibodeau lowered his voice, "The starters' rhythm has been disrupted, should we call a timeout?"
"Unnecessary."
Doc Rivers looked at the Lakers players on the court, then at Brian Shaw, A.C. Green, and John Salley on the Lakers ' bench.
" Los Angeles is used to starting strong. Let them play first," Doc Rivers said calmly. "Things will be different once the rotation begins."
The first quarter ended in the eighth minute.
The Celtics' offense failed, Lakers launched a fast break. Kobe drew a foul from Pierce and went to the free-throw line.
Dead ball, official pause.
Doc Rivers stood up and looked towards the end of the bench.
Ron.
Artest looked up.
"Report to the scorer's table. Once you're on the court, keep a close eye on number 8. If he scores easily tonight, you can go back to Boston and sell TVs tomorrow. Got it?"
Artest pulled off his towel, took off his jersey, revealing his number 37 jersey.
"Leave it to me."
He strode toward the technical table. Behind him were Chauncey Billups Billups, Ron Harper, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.
The jeers in the arena paused for a moment as these five players prepared to replace the starters except for Pierce. With Big Ben's solid muscles and the tough playing style of the other players, the Celtics ' defensively renowned second unit took to the court.
The game restarted.
This lineup... Billups, Harper, Artest, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, all possess excellent defensive abilities and a willingness to compete.
As soon as Lakers ' Brian Shaw crossed half-court, Billups closed in, forcing him to pass the ball early. After several passes, the ball reached Kobe.
Kobe received the ball beyond the three-point line and noticed that his defender had changed from Gary Payton to the rookie number 37 who had just been mocked by the entire arena. The fans in the stands immediately started booing, waiting to see Kobe take a one-on-one shot.
Kobe lowered his center of gravity, dribbled between his legs repeatedly, and then suddenly accelerated, attempting to break through from the right side.
Faced with Kobe's explosiveness, the heavier Artest demonstrated excellent lateral speed, precisely blocking his driving lane.
"Bang!"
The two clashed, producing a dull thud. Kobe's path was blocked, and his dribbling rhythm faltered. Artest seized the opportunity to reach out and steal the ball.
Kobe reacted quickly, gathering the ball and forcefully pulling back for a jump shot. Artest didn't jump after him, but instead used his wingspan to cover Kobe, blocking his shooting vision.
"When!"
The basketball slammed against the front of the rim and bounced high. Inside the paint, Ben Wallace positioned himself behind A.C. Green, swung his long arm, and secured the defensive rebound.
Almost the instant the basketball bounced off the court, Artest, having completed his defense, didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately turning and accelerating, heading straight for the frontcourt.
On the sidelines, Gary Payton stood up excitedly and shouted at his retreating figure, "Well done, warehouse manager!"
Artest didn't even look back, just kept running. He strode into the Lakers' half of the court, received Harper's long pass near the free-throw line, and took off into the air, finishing the fast break cleanly with a powerful one-handed dunk.
In the following minutes, the Celtics ' bench began to apply intense defensive pressure. Artest closely guarded Kobe, not giving him easy space to receive the ball and shoot. In the paint, the " The Wallace Duo " duo had the upper hand in physical battles, Lakers' bench interior players struggled to cope.
In the seventh minute of the second quarter, Billups passed the ball from the outside, and Rasheed Wallace made a high bounce pass to the basket. Artest cut inside and dunked over John Salley's help defense.
The Celtics took the lead 32-29.
After landing, Artest glanced at the stands, and the voices of those mocking him in the front row immediately quieted down.
Phil Jackson on the sidelines frowned. Faced with the Celtics' switching defense and high-intensity pressing, the Lakers ' tactical operation stalled, forcing them to rely more on Kobe's individual isolation plays.
The intensity of the competition gradually escalated, and the atmosphere on the field became increasingly tense.
Kobe received the ball on the right wing and waved to create space for a one-on-one against Artest. After a series of feints, Kobe made a strong drive from the left. Artest stuck close to him. The two battled to the edge of the paint, and before Kobe jumped, his right elbow subtly struck Artest in the chest.
Artest paused, Kobe used the opportunity to create space and make a jump shot.
The referee did not blow the whistle.
The fans in the front row erupted in cheers, and someone pointed at Artest and shouted, "What's wrong? Cashier, did your fragile heart get shattered?"
Artest stood there, fists clenched. The temper he had developed on the streetball court surged up, and he wanted to rush up and retaliate against his opponent.
Just as he was about to lose his mind, he caught a glimpse of Lin Qi on the sidelines.
Lin Qi looked at him calmly.
"It's not your job to argue with fans or the media... How do you shut them up? Just play well and let's see who's the best on the court."
Artest remembered what Lin Qi had once told him and instantly calmed down. He took a deep breath, loosened his fist, and suppressed his anger.
"Serve," he said to Big Ben at the baseline.
The Lakers possession.
Kobe gets the ball again. He calls for a screen from A.C. Green and moves toward the top of the key. Artest quickly squeezes through the screen and sticks close to Kobe's dribbling hand.
Kobe attempted to create space with a behind-the-back dribble. Just as the ball was about to be passed to his left hand, Artest seized the opportunity and accurately cut towards the basketball.
"Smack!"
The basketball slipped from his grasp and rolled towards the backcourt. Steal!
Artest quickly started, grabbed the basketball from the ground, rushed to the open basket, and slammed it in with one hand.
After landing, Artest gave a cold look to the stands that had just mocked him. He didn't say anything, but the fans in the front row quieted down considerably.
"Beep--"
The referee blew the whistle. The score was 36-31. Phil Jackson was forced to call a timeout.
The Celtics kept the score close on the road thanks to the high-pressure defense of their bench players.
Thanks to their second unit's high-intensity pressing defense, the Celtics managed to turn the tide in a frenzied away game and maintain their lead.
After the timeout, Phil Jackson quickly made personnel adjustments. Instead of risking having the substitutes continue to wear him down on the court, he brought back Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal and Derrick Fisher early in an attempt to stabilize the situation.
Doc Rivers responded by substituting Garnett, Gary Payton, and Pierce back into the game, but kept Artest on the court to continue guarding Kobe.
After O'Neal returned to the court, the Lakers immediately shifted their offensive focus to the paint. Facing Ben Wallace, who was at a significant weight disadvantage, O'Neal displayed unparalleled dominance. He scored twice in a row in the low post, not only dunking the ball but also drawing a defensive foul from Big Ben.
As O'Neal dominated the paint, the Lakers quickly closed the gap, and the roar of the Great Western Forum erupted once again.
But Kobe still struggled on the perimeter.
Artest was like a piece of chewing gum that wouldn't stick to you. After that steal and dunk, he had built up plenty of defensive confidence. Facing Kobe's endless fakes, he no longer jumped up to fall for them easily. Instead, he stuck to Kobe's lower body and used his excellent core strength and physical confrontation to continuously disrupt Kobe's receiving routes and dribbling rhythm.
With two minutes left in the second quarter, Kobe received a difficult pass in the right corner. Due to Artest's tight defense, Kobe didn't even have the space to turn and face the basket. He was forced to back down and try to force his way inside twice, but Artest was rooted to the spot and wouldn't budge.
With little time left on the shot clock, Kobe was forced to turn and shoot. Artest immediately followed, his long arms outstretched, his five fingers almost completely obscuring Kobe's view of the shot.
"When!"
The basketball slammed against the side of the rim, Garnett leaped high, grabbing the rebound.
The Celtics immediately launched a counterattack. Gary Payton dribbled across half-court and delivered a subtle no-look pass to Pierce, who pulled up for a jump shot near the free-throw line and calmly sank it.
With the final possession of the first half ending, possession returned to the Lakers.
With 14 seconds remaining, Kobe dribbled the ball at the top of the key, pressing for time. The entire arena spontaneously rose to their feet, hoping their star player could end the first half with a beautiful basket.
Artest lowered his center of gravity, keeping his eyes fixed on Kobe's waist, not giving his opponent any easy opportunity to start.
With only 5 seconds left on the countdown, Kobe suddenly started moving. This time, he cleverly used a high screen to briefly shake off Artest's entanglement and drove straight to the paint.
But the Celtics ' defensive rotations were extremely fast, Garnett quickly came into position to help defend, spreading his long arms to block Kobe's layup angle. Kobe folded his body in the air and passed the ball to O'Neal, who was briefly left open.
O'Neal received the ball under the basket, his massive body leaping into the air, ready to end the first half with a powerful two-handed dunk.
In that split second, Artest, who had struggled through the screen, burst out from the side. Without any hesitation, he committed a vicious tactical foul aimed at the ball, grabbing O'Neal's arms with both hands and forcefully pulling O'Neal and the ball off the court.
"Beep--"
The referee promptly called a defensive foul on Artest.
This was an extremely clever tactical foul. It not only ruined the Lakers' seemingly inevitable dunk, but also sent O'Neal, who has a poor free-throw percentage, to the free-throw line.
O'Neal stepped to the free-throw line, and amidst the quiet sighs of the crowd, he made one of two free throws.
As Garnett secured the rebound, the buzzer sounded for halftime.
The Celtics went into the locker room with a narrow 2-point lead, 52-50.
Artest pulled up his jersey to wipe the sweat from his face and turned to walk toward the players' tunnel.